Capture of interstellar objects: a source of long-period comets. (arXiv:1910.06338v1 [astro-ph.EP])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Hands_T/0/1/0/all/0/1">Tom Hands</a>, <a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Dehnen_W/0/1/0/all/0/1">Walter Dehnen</a>
We simulate the passage through the Sun-Jupiter system of interstellar
objects (ISOs) similar to 1I/`Oumuamua or 2I/Borisov. Capture of such objects
is rare and overwhelmingly from low incoming speeds onto orbits akin to those
of known long-period comets. This suggests that some of these comets could be
of extra-solar origin, in particular inactive ones. Assuming ISOs follow the
local stellar velocity distribution, we infer a volume capture rate of
$0.051,mathrm{au}^3 mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. Current estimates for orbital
lifetimes and space densities then imply steady-state captured populations of
$sim10^2$ comets and $sim10^5$ `Oumuamua-like rocks.
We simulate the passage through the Sun-Jupiter system of interstellar
objects (ISOs) similar to 1I/`Oumuamua or 2I/Borisov. Capture of such objects
is rare and overwhelmingly from low incoming speeds onto orbits akin to those
of known long-period comets. This suggests that some of these comets could be
of extra-solar origin, in particular inactive ones. Assuming ISOs follow the
local stellar velocity distribution, we infer a volume capture rate of
$0.051,mathrm{au}^3 mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. Current estimates for orbital
lifetimes and space densities then imply steady-state captured populations of
$sim10^2$ comets and $sim10^5$ `Oumuamua-like rocks.
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